This application relates to manually controlled concurrent data recording and playback machines, and a novel method of triggering said concurrent data recording and playback.
Concurrent data recording and playback machines are commonly used to record and later play back audio data, and are known as “looper” and/or “delay” effects. In both cases, audio data can be recorded and different, previously recorded audio data played back simultaneously.
Delay effects continually delay the playback of recorded audio by a fixed time interval resulting in a “repeat” of the audio.
Looper effects record a sample of audio then play that sample back one or more times. While looper effects allow concurrent recording and playback of distinct audio samples, no loopers, nor any other devices, allow a user to repeatedly alternately play back and record separate audio data samples using a single switch, let alone trigger those operations via each change of state of said switch.
The present invention allows concurrent alternating recording and playback of distinct data samples triggered by each change of state of an electromechanical momentary switch, resulting in a novel effect.
The improvements provided by the present invention are that it allows a far more efficient, intuitive, natural, and rhythmically flexible method of creating a “delay” type effect that is not tied to a fixed time interval.
The present invention takes advantage of both states of said electromechanical momentary switch to start and stop the recording of distinct data samples, and to initiate playback of the data sample just recorded. Upon each change of state of said electromechanical momentary switch (upon a press and again upon release), the recording of a current data sample is stopped, the recording of a new data sample is initiated, and the data sample whose recording was just stopped begins to play.
This is particularly helpful in the context of a musical performance where the music is being played live and a musician wishes to synchronize the recording and playback of his or her audio with the sounds created by the other human accompanists whose timing is inherently variable. The ability to manually control the recording and playback of audio in such an efficient and natural manner makes it simple for said musician to adjust to a shifting and dynamic tempo.